Yet the company's bottom line is expected to remain about EUR 1m in the red, mostly due to high indebtedness and lack of operating capital, Delopst explained.

The company saw the trust of customers and suppliers improve in the second half of 2013. "Only later, when they saw things getting done, the customers began helping us with advances," Delopst said.

The group around the Žiri-based company plans to achieve 2-5% growth in the coming years. "The domestic market remains stable despite the economic situations. We're seeing the biggest problems in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, especially since Alpina footwear isn't the cheapest on the market", he said.

The group employs some 1800 people and has manufacturing plants in Bosnia, Romania and China. Annual output stands at about 1.5m pairs of shoes, with about 600,000 being finished in Žiri.

The Žiri headquarters employs 351 people.